Acer H6510BD1080p 3D Home Video Projector

Light output. The Acer H6510BD is bright. At its brightest, in fact, our test sample measured 2524 ANSI lumens with the lamp at full power. Even eco-lamp mode, with its extended lamp life, puts out 1856 lumens in Bright mode -- 74% of full power output. Bright mode's color is undersaturated and pushes blue/green, while black level suffers, but Bright mode can be useful in a room with high ambient light where those factors matter less than pure output.

Standard mode, which has a more balanced image than Bright mode, produces 1844 lumens with the lamp at full power. Standard mode's black level and shadow detail are better than Bright mode, while color shows less of a blue push though green is still overdriven.

By default, Movie mode is the projector's best film and video mode. At 1336 lumens with the lamp at full power, Movie mode has the best default white balance of any mode, though it is still several hundred degrees off from 6500K. Our final calibration for film and video used Movie mode as a starting point and measured almost exactly 1300 lumens post-calibration. In a darkened theater, that is more than enough to drive even the largest screens up to 140" diagonal and above. But the H6510BD really shines in a room with some ambient light, where that extra lumen output can help defeat ambient light and still produce a bright, satisfying picture.

While none of the pre-calibrated image modes are appropriate for large screens, you can also reduce light output by 52% by disabling BrilliantColor in the projector's Advanced menu. If you have a small screen and a light-controlled room, this can help bring the projector's brightness in line with your needs.

Contrast. The H6510BD's black level is deep enough to create a satisfying picture. However, this does not mean that it is the equal of projectors many times more expensive, which benefit from better internal light control, auto iris systems, and higher-contrast chips. Black level is comparable to other entry-level 1080p projectors. Shadow detail is well-defined, and deep shadows in the very low range are still rendered cleanly.

Color. The H6510BD has three preset color temperature settings: CT1, CT2, and CT3. CT2, which is the default in Movie mode, is the most accurate of the three, but red is still under-emphasized while green is pushed. Folks who don't mind fine-tuning their projectors will want to switch to User mode and make adjustments from there.

On our test sample, the following settings produced a grayscale of roughly 6500K:

Gain

Red

100

Green

94

Blue

97

Bias

Red

0

Green

-5

Blue

0

Color gamut is another story. The H6510BD's color gamut needs work in order to bring it in line with the Rec.709 standard. Unfortunately, the H6510BD's color management system uses very coarse adjustments and it can be difficult to make small adjustments.

On the subject of BrilliantColor, it is usually a good idea to disable BrilliantColor to get the most natural, most balanced image possible. However, it is difficult to calibrate the projector to 6500K across the board with BrilliantColor disabled, so some users will opt to leave it enabled.

Posted Jul 24, 2013 11:07:08 AM

By Joey

That's normal, it's called horizontal keystone. Basically the projector is not squared to the wall. If the horizontal edges converge to the right, you need to aim the picture more to the right (the distance the light travels will dictate the amount of keystone). Most projectors have vertical keystone correction but not horizontal, so you have to adjust the projector position appropriately.

Posted Jun 10, 2013 4:28:58 AM

By Angel

"Color wheel. With a six-segment RGBCMY color wheel spinning at 7200RPM, the H6510BD has a 2X-speed color wheel. This means those sensitive to rainbows will see them in droves. As there are other projectors around this price range with faster color wheels, the H6510BD could be a poor choice for anyone with a known sensitivity to color separation artifacts."

Posted May 13, 2013 2:09:46 PM

By Anil

HI, I bought this projector. This is good projector for the $$$. I guess i have an issue, the projection Projection screen is no rectangle. If I project from table, it looks as image goes towards right, it narrows down. Basically the horizontal lines are not parallel. I though it is my illusion due to Projector surface, but I measured the height from right and left sides. They are not same. Left side height is 2” less than the right side (projected on 90” diagonal). Any one knows how to correct it or it’s a projector issue?

Posted May 8, 2013 8:13:11 AM

By Kevin H

I have two words for those that are considering getting this projector...DO IT!

My Dell 1409X started having the white dot issue (DMD chip?) shortly after putting in a new bulb. I decided on an upgrade. I had researched several projectors and had decided on the BenQ W1070. Just before getting the BenQ, I saw the Acer H6510BD. It was cheaper and the specs were close to the BenQ. So, I got it. It has great picture and color and blew my Dell 1409X out of the water. I had to get a new screen as well for the larger picture. I am projecting on a Elite 16:9 135-inch (M135UWH) screen at just under 12 feet away. I got the screen and the projector for under $1,000 from Amazon. The only con I can think of is the angle of the throw. I think it would work better attached to the ceiling. Not doing 3D yet so I can comment to that aspect.

Posted Apr 28, 2013 9:50:38 PM

By Tony Sammo

Posted Apr 25, 2013 3:40:33 PM

By S G

How did you determine the speed (Mz) of the 3D glasses because the manual only talks about 3D specs (120hz)with a computer and Acer support could not even answer this question for a stand-alone Bluray player.

Just curious because I want to buy glasses but, I don't want to purchase the wrong ones.

Posted Apr 15, 2013 2:54:09 PM

By S G

I'm glad I bought the Acer over the Benq now since our proj is installed in a room where the ambient lightning is not controlled but,light is reduced well with normal window blinds. Kinda disappointing on the 3D refresh rate but, since the projector has high lumens it must show the image brighter than the Benq but, then is prone to flickering. I guess it's a trade-off type of thing. Unfortunately, no information about the refresh rate was listed on Acer's website and tech support didn't know either. Still a great projector for my first one!

Posted Apr 13, 2013 12:43:52 PM

By Ted Nunn

Thanks for your review on the new Acer H5610BD projector. I also appreciated your decision to incorporate a shoot out between it and the Benq W1070. I am sure that this has helped a number of people decide which projector to buy. It is not easy to experience a demonstration of these products in a store, much less have the opportunity to compare them in calibrated and uncalibrated conditions. Thanks for another great review!!!

Post a comment

Commenting on this article is easy and does not require any registration. Your email address is necessary for you to activate
your comment once it has been submitted. It will not be shown to other site viewers. ProjectorCentral reserves
the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Foul language is not permitted, nor are personal attacks. All
comments should remain on topic.